Preview: Spurs at Pelicans

Reuters Staff

3 Min Read

The San Antonio Spurs have done the bulk of their damage at home this season but face a challenging road contest when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The Spurs entered Tuesday with an NBA-high eight home wins after Monday’s 96-85 victory over Atlanta, but they’re just 3-4 on the road, where they play 19 of their next 30.

LaMarcus Aldridge figures to give San Antonio a chance regardless of the venue and the veteran forward led the way against the Hawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Kyle Anderson continued his solid play with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists. “He’s been ready for the moment,” Aldridge told reporters of Anderson. “He’s been playing really confident, making plays for us, being the other guy to be a ball-handler and been just saving us in games, basically.” The Pelicans won six of their last nine and survived an ejection by star big man DeMarcus Cousins in a 114-107 triumph against Oklahoma City on Monday. Anthony Davis carried the load with 36 points and 15 rebounds and is averaging 27.6 points on 56.9 percent shooting at home.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (San Antonio), FS New Orleans

ABOUT THE SPURS (11-6): Anderson’s opportunity has arisen in the wake of the season-long injury to star Kawhi Leonard, who still has no timetable for a return. Anderson is shooting 58.1 percent from the floor and 81.8 percent from the line in November, compared to 42.3 and 64.3, respectively, in October, and has also helped to fill the void left by injured point guard Tony Parker. “He gets to handle the ball more and that’s his game, too,” veteran Manu Ginobili told reporters. “He’s playing as a point power forward. He’s a tough matchup because of his size and his handles.”

ABOUT THE PELICANS (9-8): Jrue Holiday scored 18 points in the win over the Thunder while Cousins hit that same mark before being tossed. New Orleans trailed by eight at the break but utilized a dominant effort by Davis and some sharp shooting from a bench that went 10-for-15 from the floor to mount a comeback. “Our second team did amazing to get us back in this game,” Holiday told reporters. “Hats off to them. They really brought the energy, and from there, we kind of picked it up and sustained it.”